News & Accolades

Award Show Success at 2018 National and International Wine Shows

Date: 7 January 2019

Award season is here and Leconfield and Richard Hamilton Wines have been winning big with some incredible results. Here's a round up of a highly successful year.

Three Trophies were awarded to the Leconfield Wines Portfolio. The first Trophy announced was at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show our 2017 Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Franc was awarded the Karl Seppelt AO Trophy for Best Other Varietal Red.

Also awarded at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show was the 2017 Leconfield McLaren Vale Shiraz and 2017 Leconfield Coonawarra Merlot - both with Silver Medals. And the Silver Medals keep coming with the 2017 Leconfield Merlot also being awarded at Royal Sydney and Royal Queensland where it was the highest pointed Merlot in the show.

The second and third Trophies were both awarded at the 2018 Limestone Coast Wine Show. The first ever Rosé released under the Leconfield label - 2018 Leconfield Coonawarra Rosé received the Trophy for Best Rosé for its first and only entry in a wine show. The Syn Rouge Sparkling Shiraz also took at out a Trophy at the 2018 Limestone Coast Wine Show for Best Sparkling Wine. The Syn Rouge also was awarded a Gold Medal at the Japan Wine Awards with the Syn Chardonnay Pinot Noir awarded a Silver Medal.

Not to be outdone, our Richard Hamilton portfolio is also achieving medal success with Four Gold Medals for the 2016 Richard Hamilton ‘Hut Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon. The Gold Medals were awarded at Perth Royal Wine Awards , Sydney Royal Wine Show, Royal Hobart Wine Show and Royal Melbourne Wine Show.

Gold Medals were also awarded to both our Richard Hamilton McLaren Vale Shiraz with the 2016 'Centurion' Shiraz and 2016 'Little Road' at China Wine & Spirit Awards. 2016 'Burton's Bush Vine Grenache also took out Gold at Sydney International Wine Show.

The full award list is below:

2018 Leconfield Coonawarra Rosé

Trophy Best Rosé, 2018 Limestone Coast Wine Show

NV Syn Rouge Sparkling Shiraz

Trophy Best Sparkling Wine, 2018 Limestone Coast Wine Show

Gold - 2018 Japan Wine Show

2017 Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Franc

Trophy, Royal Adelaide Wine Show

Silver - Royal Hobart

​2016 Richard Hamilton 'Hut Block' Cabernet Sauvignon

Gold - Perth Royal Wine Awards

Gold - Sydney Royal Wine Show

Gold - Royal Hobart Wine Show

Gold - Royal Melbourne Wine Show.

Silver - Royal Queensland Wine Show

2016 Richard Hamilton 'Burton's Vineyard' Grenache

Gold - Sydney Royal

2016 Richard Hamilton 'Centurion' 125 Year Old Vine Shiraz:

Gold - China Wine & Spirit Awards

Silver - Japan Wine Awards

2016 Richard Hamilton 'Little Road' Shiraz

Gold - China Wine & Spirit Awards

2016 Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Silver- Royal Sydney,

Silver- Japan Wine Awards,

4 1/2 Stars at the WineState Magazine Limestone Coast Tasting

2017 Leconfield McLaren Vale Shiraz:

Gold - McLaren Vale Wine Show

Silver - China Wine Awards,

Silver - Japan Wine Awards

Silver - Royal Adelaide Wine Show

2017 Leconfield Coonawarra Merlot

Gold - Six Nations Wine Challenge

Silver - Royal Queensland, Sydney Royal, Royal Adelaide

2017 Leconfield Coonawarra 'Old Vine' Riesling

4 1/2 Stars at the WineState Magazine Limestone Coast Tasting

Richard Hamilton’s 'WineLine - Odyssey' 2 wins Cannes Film award

Date: 1 July 2018

The latest in a series of stunning victories, Dr Richard Hamilton’s documentary on the life of his father, Burton Hamilton - ‘WineLine 2 – Odyssey’, has won a Silver Dolphin award for a Documentary in the History & Civilization category at the 9th Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

The awards were held at Cannes, France on Thursday September 28, 2018 with Richard and Jette Hamilton both in attendance to accept the award along with Director Rick Cavaggion and screen-writer Martin Gordon from Light Image.

WineLine 2 - Odyssey has been gaining acclaim since its release, winning a Bronze at the 2018 New York Television and Film Awards. The film also won Gold Camera and the Best of Show in its category this year at the prestigious US International Film and Video Festival’s 51st Annual Awards Competition.

Dr Richard Hamilton, whose family is the subject of the film he himself produced, said, “to have our film honoured at Cannes is such an amazing result. It’s the culmination of all of the passion and hard work that went into the film.”

The film chronicles the rich history of the Richard Hamilton family, who have been making wine in the vineyards of South Australia since the 1800’s.

Dr Hamilton said of the film “the development of the film has grown from the Richard Hamilton family’s unique history in Australian winemaking and my intense desire to tell the story.”

“My family were the pioneer winemakers in the colony of South Australia back in the early 1830s, decades before Australia had even become a Federated nation,” Dr Hamilton added.

“The film covers the Richard Hamilton family’s journey and remarkable determination to create wine for enjoyment in what would have been, at times, incredibly challenging and confronting circumstances.

“The Richard Hamilton story also inherently highlights Australia’s journey as a nation growing, developing and evolving both socially and technologically.”

WineLine 2 - Odyssey tells the story of Dr Hamilton’s father, Burton Hamilton. Dr Richard Hamilton created the film as a personal project, as a way to tell the stories closest to him, and truthfully express his feelings about them.

“The film is really delivered through my eyes following Burton’s footsteps as a young man born in a vineyard, through to adulthood including his travels, work experiences, challenges and finally life as a vigneron and winemaker in Australia; and much more,” Dr Hamilton said.

“Making the film was quite an empowering and spiritual experience for me and helped me to understand just how hard my father’s life must have been. I now feel that I know and understand him much better than I did as a young man.”

WineLine 2 - Odyssey, follows hot on the heels of Leconfield’s first film, WineLine - The Hamilton Story, which also achieved immense success.

Winner of the Trophy for The Best International Film at the 22nd Festival Oenovidéo in France 2016, winner of the Bronze Medal for Australian cinematography in 2014, and finalist in the 2015 New York Television and Film Awards, WineLine - The Richard Hamilton Story chronicles the establishment of Leconfield Wines and the lives of the early Hamiltons.

Leconfield encompasses two of South Australia’s leading wine labels, both owned by the Richard Hamilton family: Leconfield Wines at Coonawarra and Richard Hamilton Wines at McLaren Vale, located in two of the best winemaking districts in Australia.

“I am extremely proud of our unique and strong wine industry heritage which dates back to 1837. Our family has developed a distinguished international reputation for elegant and delectable wines and has also in the process with innovation, experimentation and perseverance, helped to establish Australia as one of the world’s leading winemaking countries,” Dr Hamilton said.

Leconfield Wine brand is based on a simple philosophy – “great wines are crafted from great vineyards.” It is this simple philosophy that has led to generations of success and several award winning documentaries.

'WineLine 2 - Odyssey" Awarded Bronze at New York Film Festival 2018

Date: 15 October 2018

‘WineLine 2 - Odyssey’, has won Bronze at the prestigious New York Television and Film Awards.The film chronicles the rich history of the Hamilton family, who have been making wine in the vineyards of South Australia since the 1800’s.

Dr Richard Hamilton said of the film “the development of the film has grown from the Hamilton family’s unique history in Australian winemaking and my intense desire to tell the story.”

“My family were the pioneer winemakers in the colony of South Australia back in the early 1830s, decades before Australia had even become a Federated nation,” Dr Hamilton added. “The film covers the Hamilton family’s journey and remarkable determination to create wine for enjoyment in what would have been, at times, incredibly challenging and confronting circumstances. The Hamilton story also inherently highlights Australia’s journey as a nation growing, developing and evolving both socially and technologically.”

The Judges for the New York Awards said “with entries in from over 40 countries, this year’s New York Festivals World's Best TV and Films presented a strong competition, so once again, congratulations.”

WineLine 2 - Odyssey tells the story of Dr Hamilton’s father, Burton Hamilton. Dr Richard Hamilton created the film as a personal project, as a way to tell the stories closest to him, and truthfully express his feelings about them.

“The film is really delivered through my eyes following Burton’s footsteps as a young man born in a vineyard, through to adulthood including his travels, work experiences, challenges and finally life as a vigneron and winemaker in Australia; and much more,” Dr Hamilton said.

“Making the film was quite an empowering and spiritual experience for me and helped me to understand just how hard my father’s life must have been. I now feel that I know and understand him much better than I did as a young man.”WineLine 2- Odyssey, follows hot on the heels of Leconfield’s first film, WineLine - The Hamilton Story, which also achieved immense success.

Winner of the Trophy for The Best International Film at the 22nd Festival Oenovidéo in France 2016, winner of the Bronze Medal for Australian cinematography in 2014, and finalist in the 2015 New York Television and Film Awards, WineLine - The Hamilton Story chronicles the establishment of Leconfield Wines and the lives of the early Hamiltons.